Computer Crime Research Center

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Authentium's SafeCentral stops cybercrime before it happens

Date: April 18, 2008
Source: Techjournalsouth.com
By: Allan Maurer

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL—The problem with much cybercrime such as ID theft is that even if you catch it once it happens, it often requires time-consuming fixes. Authentium’s new SafeCentral product offers Internet users a way to lock down PCS and launch a secure browser anytime they plan to do online banking or buying.

Over 50 percent of PCs are already infected with spyware, even though most have antivirus, antispyware, and firewall software installed, according to industry research.

“Even if cybercrooks have their hooks inside your computer and are monitoring your activities, you can use SafeCentral to shop, bank, or even file your taxes with complete confidence,” says Doug Brunt, president and CEO of Authentium said on the new product’s release today.

SafeCentral uses Authentium’s patent-pending TSX technology to create a virtual “concrete bunker” that safeguards consumers from the trickiest and nastiest techniques employed by Internet thieves.

Three pillars of security
These threats include viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, keyloggers, phishers, man-in-the-middle attacks, screen scrapers, DNS poisoning, Wi-Fi interception, and countless other orchestrated attacks.

SafeCentral says it is the only service that stops Internet threats past, present, and future—without requiring constant updates, time-consuming file scanning, or real-time monitoring that wastes memory and slows computers down.

The three “pillars” of its system include the SafeCentral Desktop, which constantly monitors Window’s system “calls,” that stops malicious software.

The SafeCentral Browser blacks out snooping by man or machine using virtual sessions invisible to spyware or keyloggers.

And the SafeCentral Portal offers a secure on-ramp to the user’s favorite Web destinations, including financial institutions.

The company, founded in 2000, raised a $15 million A round led by Westbury Equity Partners and a $6 million B round led by Safeguard Scientific. Other investors include the Bank of Bahrain, and UOB Venture Management.

The company is not currently seeking a new round but may in the future, says Corey O’Donnell, VP of marketing.


O’Donnell tells TechJournal South the company developed its patent-pending SafeCentral technology two years ago.

No annoying interruptions
It also still sells the Command anti-virus program and the ESP security suites used by Google, Microsoft, Earthlink and others who license it and incorporate embed it in their products (email, firewalls, etc.). The suite includes solutions from other vendors.

The idea behind SafeCentral is to take a pro-active rather than reactive approach to protecting Internet users “Whenever they take out their wallet,” says O’Donnell.

“This software inserts itself as a traffic cop into Windows, allowing trusted programs and denying others.”

Unlike Vista’s account control, however, the user does not have to ok anything. There are no prompts or pop ups the user has to deal with. “You turn it on whenever you take your wallet out online and turn it off just as easily.”

Because SafeCentral is its own browser, it can’t be corrupted. It protects the user from keyloggers, viruses, Trojans or other cybercrime even if the user’s PC is infected, says O’Donnell.

Although the complete service is free for a limited time, the company will eventually charge a subscription fee to use more than a limited version of the service.

The service already has 15,000 destinations that can be reached securely, including 8,000 banks, some too small to offer customers security tools.

The company hopes to convince banks and other institutions to pay for some of their customers’ use of the service. It will also sell ads to companies that want to target specific users. A customer signing on to do banking might see an ad from another firm offering safe stock market trading.

The company wants to partner with large retailers, financial institutions and others to offer “a secure meeting ground for users and online proprietors,” says O’Donnell.


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